The Biomass Action Network’s Africa Working Group brings together member groups working across Africa to protect people and the environment from the biomass energy industry. The group is currently coordinated by Magdalene Idiang, based in Nigeria.
Key issues linked to biomass energy in Africa
- Landgrabbing and Human rights abuses
- The environmental and social impacts of expanding monoculture tree plantations
- “Climate colonialism” as a result of the UN carbon accounting loophole
A snapshot of our campaigning work
South Africa
In 2022, member group Geasphere undertook a case study on the Ngodwana pulp mill in South Africa. They found that the mill had installed oversized, dedicated biomass boilers alongside traditional cogeneration units, in order to take advantage of monetary incentives for producing electricity from burning wood.
Since the development requires more biomass than can be supplied by the waste produced by the pulp mill alone, additional wood must be brought in to be burned. The wood is sourced from vast (and expanding) areas of monoculture tree plantations that have profoundly negative impacts on the region’s biodiverse grassland habitats. These “ecological deserts” are bereft of biodiversity, hold little carbon, and are often associated with landgrabbing and other human rights violations.
Ghana
In 2016, member group Civic Response learned that a Norwegian company named African Plantations for Sustainable Development (APSD) had acquired land in Atebubu, in the Bono East Region of Ghana. The company planned to develop extensive eucalyptus plantations to power a biomass power plant. Civic Response issued a report which stated that APSD’s plantation development approach was not socially, economically, or environmentally friendly. (See presentation)
In 2022, Civic Response visited the neighbouring community to assess the impact of the APSD plantation on the people living there. They recorded incidents of physical abuse, invasion of privacy, harassment, unpaid wages and loss of livelihood in this documentary video.
Namibia
In 2022, member group Biofuelwatch undertook research to investigate plans to export Namibian bushwood to Europe for biomass energy. They found that trees and shrubs constitute Namibia’s largest carbon sink. Removing a large share of them to generate energy in Germany would improve Germany’s carbon balance under flawed UNFCCC biomass carbon accounting rules, at the expense of Namibia’s. Additionally, they found that large-scale bush removal depletes soil carbon and impacts wildlife through habitat loss.
To join this working group, please reach out to sophie@environmentalpaper.org
